Field Notes

Help us Reach Vekezela's Family in Mabvuku

by: Meredith Maines
November 07, 2014

Vekezela—and her six brothers and sisters—need better access to safe water in Mabvuku, a suburb of Zimbabwe’s capital city. Living Water International doesn't drill there—yet. But because of our partnership with the Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe in neighboring Overspill, we’re already building relationships with Mabvuku’s local pastors. Once trained, they can help sustain our safe-water efforts after new wells are drilled at their churches. But to get there, we need your help.

When we visited Vekezela’s family earlier this year, we found only one existing borehole, serving approximately 5,000 people! By our standards, the maximum a well should serve is 350. This means Vekezela’s well is overworked, running 24 hours a day. There are always long lines and no one to resolve the fights that ensue. Some people make a business of reserving places in line—more money will get you closer to the front. Those unable to pay are forced to gather water at night when women are in danger of assailants hiding in the surrounding foliage.

What a stark contrast to our work at churches in nearby Overspill, where well caretakers oversee the borehole’s day-to-day operations, establish guidelines for its use, and minister to those who gather water daily!

We’ve seen what can happen when local churches are empowered to reach their communities with safe water. Disease is eradicated, families are restored, and the Body of Christ grows! That’s what we want to happen in Mabvuku, too. Please give now to help us minister to Vekezela’s entire community, both body and spirit.

Country

Country

Living Water Peru, in partnership with Tommy Head Peru Ministries, works deep in the heart of the Amazon rainforest to bring clean water to native tribes living along tributaries of the Amazon River. These communities, forgotten by their government, cannot continue to develop without clean water. In many of these remote areas, the infant mortality rate is 50 percent or higher. The need for sustainable water solutions is desperate, but reaching these areas is often challenging. Getting to the villages, transporting supplies, and other mobilization efforts are risky, difficult, and costly.